Twin Lakes Church raises nearly $250,000 for local food bank

APTOS -- From selling antique furniture to hosting a tae kwon do "Board Break-a-thon," members of Twin Lakes Church got creative to raise money for Second Harvest Food Bank.

Rene Schlaepfer, the church's senior pastor, was especially impressed, though, when a 7-year-old boy raised $700 on his own.

"He was recently adopted, and he made refrigerator magnets by hand in his trailer," Schlaepfer said. "I didn't tell him to do that -- he came up with the idea on his own -- and he was so excited, he came bounding up to me after church to tell me how much money he raised."

Twin Lakes Church raised nearly $250,000 in one month for Second Harvest Food Bank. The food bank calculates it can provide four meals per $1 donated through partnerships with local farms, which equates to Twin Lakes Church feeding approximately 1 million meals to people in need.

Founded in 1972, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County was the first food bank in California and is the second oldest in the nation. The program distributes more than 7.3 million pounds of food annually to working poor families, children and seniors.

According to Second Harvest Food Bank, one in four children in Santa Cruz County faces malnutrition or hunger on a daily basis.

CONGREGATIONAL GOAL

Twin Lakes Church is known for community service, viewing outreach as an essential part of faith. Last year, the congregation raised the equivalent of 1.23 million pounds of food for Second Harvest Food Bank, beating its goal of 1 million pounds.

"It's just been a remarkable relationship where there's this outpouring from Twin Lakes Church," said Jeremy Lezin, Second Harvest Food Bank board chair. "They've been a valuable partner in helping us feed people."

Participating in holiday food drives has been significant for the church, said the church's office manager, Valerie Webb.

"It's a really fun way to bring our church together so naturally," Webb said. "You need things that unify people, and the food drive is something that brings our church together."

Watching the church unite to raise enough money for 1 million meals was incredibly powerful, Schlaepfer said.

"It was a moving, spiritual experience for me as a pastor," Schlaepfer said. "I did not push it that much; I just wanted to see whether or not people were really motivated in their own spirit to participate in this."

The church ultimately decided to raise money instead of donating food due to Second Harvest Food Bank's connections with local farms and food producers. The food bank can acquire significantly cheaper food, often produce such as crooked carrots that can't be sold at markets.

"We get contributed food that's much lower in price than you buy from the market; sometimes, it's not cosmetically perfect," Lezin said. "We're also able to buy protein at much lower prices. Between contributions and our buying power, we're able to take a dollar and stretch it into four meals."

NUTRITIONAL DONATIONS

In addition, the church wanted to make sure people received meals rich in nutrients, Schlaepfer said.

"It's not just cans and boxes of macaroni and cheese, but fresh produce from local growers that's not just empty calories, but healthy calories," Schlaepfer said. "This year we really emphasized cash donations because Second Harvest in the last few years has developed an awesome relationship with farmers."

Next on the church's list? Donating Christmas gifts to low-income families. The church currently displays a Christmas tree with angels representing the approximately 2,200 gifts they plan to donate to the community.

"When you're able to give together, it lifts your spirits in a way that's indescribable," Schlaepfer said. "No one at our church was impoverished by giving this much. There was very little noticeable reduction to our own standard of living. It's a remarkable eye-opener."

Donations are up 20 percent this year, but demand is up 60 percent.Food packages have been reduced 25 percent, decreasing the average of 10.5 meals per bag to eight.The nonprofit, which has a 5 percent overhead and donates all money raised directly to food, cites 1 in 4 people are food insecure in Santa Cruz County.Second Harvest Food Bank has 200 agencies and programs, with 3,000 volunteers each week who pack food and help families in person. Awarded the Healthiest Food Bank in America, the nonprofit touts the highest percentage of produce, with 5 million pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit donated. In addition, Second Harvest has 250 trained volunteer nutrition ambassadors who put on 500 workshops to teach cooking and healthy eating.For information or to donate, visit www.thefoodbank.org.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article included the incorrect URL for the Second Harvest website. This version has been updated to reflect that it is www.thefoodbank.org.